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Asia Bond Growth Likely to Pause

By

Fiona Law

Dec. 17, 2012 6:27 p.m. ET

After companies and governments across Asia loaded up on debt this year, pushing bond issuance to a record, most bankers say 2013 will be a bit quieter.

Asian companies increasingly turned to bond markets as European banks, traditionally the primary lenders to Asian businesses, pulled back from lending ahead of new global rules that require them to hold more capital. The number of offerings also jumped because many deals were held over from late 2011 amid fears of the euro-zone debt crisis.